Beth lived with her mum. Although they love each other dearly, their relationship had become extremely volatile and this was getting progressively worse.
With Sue near breaking point, fearing her daughter would be sent away to an Assessment and Treatment Unit, we started to work with both mum and daughter.
We developed a person centered plan that identified ordinary life outcomes that Beth wanted to achieve and what support she would need. We then supported Beth and her mum to design and choose Beth’s package of support.
“No one had ever explored different options with me and Beth. It was hard for me to see past Beth’s behaviour and because of this the only option I thought was available was residential care. Even though I had looked into residential care I just couldn’t do it. There was nowhere for me to go and no one to talk to, to help me manage Beth’s behaviour. When Changing Our Lives worked with us it was a whole new way of working and they have made me think differently now about my daughter’s future. I remember one of the team coming to bingo with Beth and me. Beth was talking about how she wanted to work in a pub. The team member mentioned that maybe she could get some experience working behind the bar at the bingo club. All I could think of was how is Beth going to handle hot drinks! But now I think differently to this, I think more of what Beth can do!” Sue
Beth now lives in her own home, which is something that her family never believed would happen. She has a beautiful flat and is supported by a small team to develop her independence and expand her life experiences. She travels on public transport, has improved her understanding around staying safe and has her own bank account which are new life experiences for Beth. She is also being supported to make connections in her community.
Beth’s relationship with her mum Sue has improved dramatically since Beth moved into her own home and they are now able to enjoy each other’s company and share lots of special mother/daughter moments together. Since Beth moved out of the family home, Sue has gone back into the workplace, something she reluctantly walked away from 9 years ago as she was unable to hold down a job with the demands that came with being Beth’s mum. This has given Sue a new lease of life and a purpose away from Beth to carve out a new life for herself too.
